The Vanishing Weapon Murder Case
by Swagnarok
Summary: After having been revived from the dead, Ran must adjust to her new life as 8 year old Nancy Akechi. She accompanies the five Detective Boys to a client's home, but while they're there a murder takes place. Black Gambit universe, episodes 916-917.
1. Episode 916

Most of Class 1-B of Teitan Primary had arrived; at this point they were simply waiting for the teacher.

"Haibara-san, have you seen Conan?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"Who knows?" Haibara responded nonchalantly.

"Hey, don't tell me he skipped class again!" Genta said.

"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't," Haibara said cryptically, not looking up from her _Miss 20_ fashion magazine.

They heard a creaking sound; somebody was opening the door.

"Ah, that must be Kobayashi-sensei!" Ayumi said.

"Probably," Haibara said.

Sumiko Kobayashi stood in front of the chalkboard, accompanied by…

"Hey, who's that girl?" Mitsuhiko whispered.

"I don't know but she's hot," Genta whispered excitedly.

Haibara donned a deadpan look upon hearing what Genta just said.

"Class, we have a new student," Sumiko Kobayashi said.

The girl had dark brown hair which was tied into a French braid and halfway covered by a reddish pinkish bandana. She was wearing a lime green T-Shirt and knee length blue shorts. Conan was standing at the doorway facing the teacher and the new student.

"She kind of looks like Ran-oneesan," Ayumi realized.

"Meet Nancy Akechi, age eight," Kobayashi-sensei said. She wrote the name on the chalkboard with the new student's first name in katakana characters since it was a foreign word and the last name in the kanji characters for "bright" and "wisdom".

"…Hi," Nancy said.

Conan stepped into the classroom. He walked to his seat and Nancy followed him.

"Ooh! Ooh! Sit here!" Genta said to Nancy, referring to the seat right next to him.

"Here, you can have my seat," Haibara said calmly, getting up and taking a nearby seat next to Genta.

Conan and Nancy sat down together.

"Hey, Conan," Mitsuhiko whispered. "Who is she? It looks like you know her."

Conan grinned. "She's my new sister."

 **Opening:**

(Jump by Mai Kuraki)

(In my time as a Detective I've learned that tingling feelings are subconscious observations! What happened to Ran? Who is this Nancy? He perceives the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, his name is…Detective Conan!)

Sometimes I think the beat is just too fast for me

Other times the beat is way too slow

The clothes passed down to me are a size too small

How can anyone walk in these shoes?

The thermostat is kept a notch to low

My awkward shadow bumps into everything

The silence in my daily life is deafening

Other times the music's way too loud

There is a world for me over the canyon

A world that's just my size, just my tempo

Don't look back, don't look down

Just close your eyes and take a leap into the dark

You got to jump, you got to jump

Like you're reaching for precious oxygen

You get to jump, you got to jump

Like you're aiming for the shooting stars

You got to jump, you got to jump

Don't fall back even to get a running start

When your feet hit ground that's its own reward

But you'll never know until you jump

 **The Vanishing Weapon Case! Part One!**

 _"_ _Kudo-kun, come quick!" Haibara exclaimed, bursting into the hallway. "She has a pulse and she's breathing!"_

 _Conan hurried into the bedroom where Subaru Okiya and Dr. Agasa were waiting patiently for Ran's recovery._

 _"_ _Ran!" Conan exclaimed. "Hey, Ran-neechan! Can you hear me?"_

 _Ran slowly opened her eyes. She slowly turned her head and looked at Conan._

 _"_ _C-Conan…kun," Ran said. "Conan-kun, what's going on?"_

 _Conan took a step back. Then another. He could hardly breathe. He could feel a lump in his throat._

 _This is…this is really happening?! he thought. Ran…I never thought that I would see you again in life! This is…this is beyond amazing! This is incredible! This is…_

 _He sniffled. A tear rolled down his face._

 _Screw what anyone thinks, he thought._

 _He broke down sobbing on the spot. Meanwhile, James Black stepped out of the room._

 _"_ _Conan-kun, why are you crying?" Ran asked, slowly getting up._

 _"_ _Ran-neechan, you don't…remember any of it?" Conan asked._

 _"_ _Remember what?" Ran asked. "What's going on? Did something happen to me?"_

 _She put her hand on her head, realizing that her head was throbbing._

 _James Black returned._

 _"_ _Mouri-kun, here's a little something to help with the headache."_

 _He handed her a pill._

 _"_ _Will you need water with that?" he asked._

 _Ran nodded. "My throat is a little dry, to be honest."_

 _Haibara left the room to go fix Ran a glass of water._

 _"_ _Can somebody please just tell me what happened?" Ran asked._

 _"_ _Ran-neechan," Conan said, suddenly calm. Eerily calm. "As soon as you take your medicine, I will gladly tell you everything. Everything, starting from the very beginning, from the time when you and I first met."_

 **Scene Transition**

"Hey, Conan," Mitsuhiko said. "Back in class, what you said then…"

The cafeteria was filled with children. Conan, Haibara, Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, Genta…and Nancy were all seated at the same table. Nancy sat at the end next to Conan.

"You said she's your new sister," Mitsuhiko said. "What did you mean by that?"

"Oh, that?" Conan asked nonchalantly. "Nancy's parents were recently in a really bad accident, and it'll be a few months before they're released from the hospital. After the accident Nancy went to stay with the Professor because he's a friend of her family, but…"

"Taking care of one little girl is quite enough for the Professor," Haibara explained. "Two would simply be too much for him to handle. Yesterday he let her spend the night at our place and I let her have some of my clothes for today, but…"

"After school today we're going to ask Uncle Kogoro if she can stay at his place for a while," Conan finished. "If we're two kids living in the same house, then you might as well say that she's my…"

"Ah!" Ayumi said. "So that's why you called her your new sister! Congratulations, Nancy! Mouri-san's a detective who's famous across Japan! Frankly, I'm a little bit envious."

Nancy didn't say anything. In fact, she didn't look up from her lunch tray. Her head was reclining against her fist.

"She's not much of a speaker, huh?" Genta noted.

"She's still new here," Conan reassured. "In time she'll lighten up, once she gets a chance to know us. I expect you all to be nice to her and help her feel comfortable here."

"In that case, my name's Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya!" He extended his hand to Nancy. She shook it reluctantly.

"I'm Genta Kojima."

"I'm Ayumi Yoshida. I look forward to having you as a classmate."

"And obviously, you already know who Edogawa-kun and I are," Haibara said.

Nancy remained silent. Conan stared at her. And then…

"I need to use the restroom."

"I'll show you where it is," Conan said, an unusually sober look on his face.

The two of them got up and walked away.

 **Scene Transition**

They stepped out into the empty hallway.

"Why are you acting like this?" Conan asked. "You have to act like a normal kid to blend in and not draw attention to yourself."

"…I've been here before," Nancy said. "This school. I went to this school with you and Sonoko. And now I have to do it all over again. I have to do the past ten years all over again."

"Hey, Ran," Conan said. "You know this is the only way! Elena-san said that nobody must know Ran Mouri lives! That was her condition for providing me with the medicine used to revive you!"

"I've never even met this Elena-san," Ran/Nancy said.

"She saved your life!" Shinichi/Conan said. "She brought you back from the dead! That means something, doesn't it?"

"I guess," Ran/Nancy said. "But…Shinichi, do you know how it feels? To know that your family and friends think you're dead? Your father and mother know the truth, don't they? How fair is that?"

"Ran, these aren't ideal circumstances for you. I recognize that. But it was the best possible deal. The only alternative was for you to stay dead."

"I wonder what it's like, being dead?" Ran asked. "I can't remember being dead, what that felt like, if it felt like anything at all. But surely it's…better than this? It's got to be."

Conan slapped her across the face. She didn't know how to respond to that.

"I paid too high a price for that drug…for you to throw your life away!" Conan said angrily, practically screaming. "Ran, you owe me! You owe me your life! And I just ask one thing in return, just one thing in this whole wide world! I only ask…THAT YOU DON'T DIE ON ME! NOT AGAIN!"

He felt emotionally drained now. He face was red and a little bit wet. "Ran, you've…you've been given a second chance at life. Regardless of the circumstances of that second life, a second chance's worth something, isn't it? Very few people have ever gotten an opportunity like this, so…please, try to make the most of it. Cherish your life, Ran! Do not repudiate the greatest gift a person could hope to receive! If you won't try for yourself, then…try for me."

There was an eery silence in the hallway. But then…

"…All I can promise you is that I'll try," Ran/Nancy said. "But if in the end it simply doesn't work out, if I cannot find a place for myself among the living, then I will return to the world of the dead."

Ran, Conan thought sadly. Ran, this isn't you. Why are you acting like this? Is it really that bad…is being with me really so bad that you want to end your life?

He paused. Come to think of it, he thought, this isn't me either. Am I normally a crybaby like this? So why…? Have recent experiences changed who I am as a person?

"How should Nancy Akechi act?" she asked, snapping him back to reality.

"W-well, you can't change your personality immediately upon returning from the bathroom," Conan said. "When you go back in there with them, remain shy at first but kind of warm up to them slowly. They may be children, but they aren't stupid. You're going to have to pull off a masterful performance. But it's okay, I've seen you act. You can do this."

"Ai-chan doesn't even try," she noted.

"Haibara's situation is different. When you meet your parents as Nancy Akechi, they should quickly notice the similarities between you and young Ran. If you act exceptionally grown up or nervous around them, that'll make them even more suspicious. You obviously can't act like a child around them and like an adult around the Detective Boys. Some consistency needs to exist to keep people from growing suspicious."

As if I'm ever consistent, he thought with a deadpan look.

"You're making that face again."

"A-anyways, Shiho Miyano wasn't acquainted with any of the people around here, so that makes her free to act however she wants."

Ran/Nancy nodded. "We should be heading back."

"Yeah, we've been gone too long."

 **Scene Transition**

 _Haibara returned with a glass of water. "Here."_

 _Ran graciously took the glass of water in one hand while holding the pill in the other. She took a big sip and the pill was flushed down with the water. She set the empty glass of water on the floor._

 _"_ _Ran, what you just took was not designed to relieve headaches," Conan said in a very serious voice. "I'm sorry that I had to lie to you, but you probably wouldn't have taken it otherwise."_

 _"_ _Conan, what's going on?" Ran demanded, creeped out by this boy's demeanor._

 _"_ _Like I said, I'll tell you everything. But first, the pill must take its course on your body. Don't worry, it won't kill you. But it will hurt."'_

 _A sharp pain emanated from her body like a sudden pulse, a heartbeat if you will. She fell to the ground, a look of terror in her eyes._

 _What did I just take? Ran thought. Was it poison? Did I ingest poison? Do I need to see a doctor right away?_

 _"_ _Ran, you may want some privacy for what happens next," Conan said. "We're in Shinichi's home right now so I trust you know where the bathroom is."_

 _Without saying enough word Ran got up, bolted out of the room, and went to find a bathroom. She locked herself inside and half a minute later they heard a scream._

 _Conan knocked on the door. "Hey, Ran, are you alright?"_

 _"_ _WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!" Ran screamed from the other side. "GAAAAAAAAHHH!"_

 _"_ _Ran, tell me what happened!" Conan said._

 _"_ _M-my BODY is…"_

 _"_ _You're shrinking, aren't you?" Conan said. "Ran, answer me!"_

 _From the other side, Ran was processing what was happening. Not only had her body just shrunk but this kid with glasses she had come to know and care for as an older sister would, Conan Edogawa, knew about it before he even saw her. She had noticed for a very long time how closely he resembled Shinichi; if she could shrink, then maybe, just maybe, it was possible that…?_

 _It once seemed like utter nonsense to her, the idea that a person could shrink. Yet here she was, wrapped in clothes that was entirely too big for her. Conan had first appeared in her life on the day that Shinichi disappeared. Now she knew why. He must've been so incredibly scared by what had happened to him, as she was now. He must've instinctively turned to the people closest to him for help. The only mystery that she cared about now was why he never just came out and told her. In fact, he had done everything in his power to prevent her from figuring out the truth. She couldn't imagine what kind of murder mystery alibi tricks he used to keep his identity a secret to her, but now the jig was up. Shinichi was waiting on the other side of that door._

 _"_ _Hey, Ran! Please, just open the door!"_

 _She stood up and opened the door. Looking at him in the eye, face to face, the same height as him, she just had thing to say._

 _"…_ _Shinichi, what now? Are you going to lie to my face any longer? Will you try still to hide behind the mask of Conan Edogawa?"_

 _"_ _...No," he said, looking down at the floor, not daring to look up and face her. "Ran, you know I can't keep that a secret any longer. I'm sick and tired of lying to the woman I love. Now it's time that I told you everything…after all this time."_

 _He let out a deep sigh of relief. A massive burden that he had been forced to carry for so long had been lifted from his small shoulders._

 **Scene Transition**

The school day was over. The Detective Boys and Nancy headed to the locker room.

"Anyway, the five of us together comprise the Detective Boys," Mitsuhiko said. "We go around solving criminal cases. We have a locker set up where other students can send us letters if they have a case that needs solving."

"Why can't we just move the contact system online?" Haibara asked. "This is the twenty first century, after all."

"No way!" Mitsuhiko said. "The letter system is a time-honored tradition! Besides, many people our age don't use email."

Conan opened the locker. There was nothing there.

"You are the Detective Boys?"

Conan turned around to see a random woman standing there looking intently at him.

"Uh, yeah," Conan answered.

"My name is Tsukiko Kitazawa," the woman, age 27, said with an uneasy look on her face. "I've come to you because I hear you've solved many cases despite your age. My husband received a death threat letter yesterday; if you can get to the bottom of this, I'm willing to offer you cash rewards."

"Cash?!" Mitsuhiko exclaimed. "How much?"

"There are six of you, so I'd say about 10,000 yen each," Tsukiko Kitazawa said. "But only if you can find the person who sent my husband the death threat."

"T-ten thousand yen?!" Genta exclaimed. "Let's see, how many bowls of eel rice could I buy for that?" He began counting on his fingers.

"I don't even know how I'd be able to spend all that!" Ayumi said.

"I wonder if that much money could see me through college?" Mitsuhiko wondered.

(Author's note: 10,000 yen is about the equivalent to 100 U.S. dollars. Furthermore, Tokyo is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in.)

 _Oy, oy_ , Conan thought with a deadpan look. Looks like their minds are made up.

 **Scene Transition**

 _Ran, having shrunk and now wearing some of Haibara's clothes. Conan/Shinichi and Haibara/Shiho sat on the couch at the opposite end._

 _"…_ _I shouldn't believe any of what you're saying," Ran said. "It's all so farfetched. A drug that shrinks people? A secret society of criminals that you've been hiding from for this past year? A drug that can raise the dead?...That I've been dead for more than a week? That my father is a gigantic fraud and he doesn't even know it? That the child I've come to know as Conan-kun is…Shinichi?"_

 _"_ _But you do believe," Conan said._

 _"_ _How can I not? The evidence now is as clear as day. All I have to do is look in a mirror or up at the ceiling! And also, I knew. I always knew deep down that somehow you were Shinichi, even though I had no evidence, even though it was crazy to even consider. But now I can rest knowing that I wasn't being crazy."_

 _"_ _Ran…I truly am sorry," Conan/Shinichi said. "The risks of telling you the truth were simply too great. If word got out that I was Shinichi, it wouldn't just put me in danger but also all the people around me, including you. If I told you my secret, you might tell some other people, and then soon enough we'd all be an assassin's target."_

 _Ram stood suddenly. "So that's it? That's the reason you didn't tell me? You didn't think you could trust me to keep quiet about something so important?"_

 _"_ _Ran," Conan/Shinichi began._

 _"_ _Did the many years we've been friends mean nothing to you then?!" Ran demanded angrily. "By all this time do you still…not know what's in my heart?"_

 _Knowing that she was inevitably about to cry, Ran hurried away from the room. Conan/Shinichi started to rise but then…_

 _"_ _Don't," Haibara said. "Yours is the last face she wants to see right now. I'll talk to her and try to calm her down."_

 **Scene Transition**

"You all called your parents, right?" Tsukiko asked as they reached the front door to the Kitazawa residence.

"Yes," Haibara said.

Tsukiko took a key out of her purse and unlocked the door. They all stepped inside.

"Honey, I'm home!" Tsukiko announced.

Tsutomu Kitazawa, age 28, emerged from the bedroom. "Who are these kids?"

"Ah, we are the Detective Boys," Mitsuhiko declared.

"Hey, this isn't about that stupid letter, is it?" Tsutomu asked.

"Don't be so unconcerned about this!" Tsukiko said. "This is your life we're talking about here!"

"It's probably just some juvenile prank," Tsutomu said dismissively. "At least tell me you aren't going to pay these brats, right?"

"Yes, she offered us 10,000 yen each if we can find the person who sent the letter," Ayumi said.

"T-ten thousand yen?!" Tsutomu exclaimed. "Tsukiko, are you crazy? We can't afford to spend money so frivolously!"

"You're the one to talk!" Tsukiko said. "That online game you're always playing costs 4000 yen a month, doesn't it? And that's to say nothing of those in-game purchases you're always making!"

She suddenly caught herself and realized that the kids were listening.

"Uh, anyways, could you go find that letter for me?" Tsukiko asked.

Tsutomu shrugged. "I think it's in the trash somewhere."

Scoffing in anger at her husband's uselessness, Tsukiko started digging through the trash. Tsutomu returned to his room, presumably to continue playing his game.

"Here it is," she said, taking the crumpled letter out of the trash. She put it on the table and the Detective Boys read it:

 _Tsutomu Kitazawa, I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna kill you when you least expect it, in the safety of your own home. Watch your back, keep your doors closed. See you soon._

"Do you see anything in the letter that might indicate who sent it?" Tsukiko asked.

"Did the envelope have an address on it?" Conan asked.

"No," Tsukiko said. "Only our address. It was the strangest thing."

"If you have the envelope, perhaps you can have it checked for fingerprints," Conan said. "Perhaps you could take it to the police and see if any fingerprints found match those of some convicted felon?"

"But no convicted felon would have reason to target my husband," Tsukiko said. "Besides, I don't think the police would take this seriously. That's why I contacted you."

Something feels off about this whole ordeal, Conan thought. But what is it?

 **Scene Transition**

 _"_ _Hey."_

 _Ran turned around to face the girl who she had come to know as "Ai-chan"._

 _"_ _How about you?" Ran asked. "I take it you aren't really a kid either?"_

 _"_ _No," Haibara admitted. "Like Kudo-kun, I am in hiding from the Men in Black, and I took that very same pill which shrinks my body."_

 _"_ _Who are you, really?" Ran asked._

 _"_ _Shiho Miyano, age 19. I was once known among the ranks of the Black Organization by the codename of Sherry. My parents developed Apotoxin 4869, but they supposedly died in a fire and much of their research was lost in the process. When I came of age and was sufficiently educated in the fields of biology and chemistry, the Organization made me take over the project that my parents had started. I re-developed the drug almost from scratch. It was never my intent to create a deadly weapon, though. In truth, I was just hoping to learn what it is my parents had spent their adult lives researching and developing, and why it was so important to them."_

 _"_ _So what happened to Shinichi…"_

 _"_ _Yes, you could say that I am responsible," Haibara/Shiho said. "In this regard you should be grateful; had my drug not been around, they probably would've just shot him. Furthermore, the drug used to revive you was developed by my mother, who it turns out is very much still alive, somewhere."_

 _"_ _Your mother is that Elena woman that Shinichi was talking about?" Ran asked._

 _"_ _Yes. In short, she made a deal with Kudo-kun: infiltrate the Organization on her behalf and she would give him ELXR-0666, the pill that was used to revive you. In short, Kudo-kun more or less sold his soul so that you could live. He became one of the Black Crows. Take that as a sign of just how much he cares about you. I would pay a very high price to have somebody feel the same way about me."_

 _"_ _Ai-chan," Ran said. "Is it okay if I still call you that?"_

 _"_ _Sure."_

 _"_ _Ai-chan, what was the relationship between you and Shinichi?"_

 _Haibara/Shiho shrugged. "Whenever I fled from the Organization, the Professor took me in. Kudo was the second person to learn my secret. We've worked together to survive the wrath of the Organization. I've saved his life and he's saved mine on numerous occasions._

 _"_ _But were you two ever…?"_

 _Haibara/Shiho shook her head, perhaps a bit sadly. "No. First, we have the bodies of children. Second, this whole time he never stopped thinking about you. But then again, you already knew that."_

 _"_ _If he cares about me so much, then why wouldn't he trust me with his secret?" Ran demanded._

 _"_ _That's the thing, I guess," Haibara/Shiho said. "He loves you too much to put you in danger like that. If his secret ever got out, those people who knew about him shrinking would especially be targeted by those Men. I'd like to add that Kudo-kun is a very cautious person, maybe even a little paranoid. Perhaps he thought that you'd kick him out of the Mouri home? I hadn't met him or you at the time, but Kudo-kun told me that you once tried to do just that whenever you temporarily discovered his identity."_

 _"_ _Yeah, I remember that," Ran said. "What was I supposed to think but that Shinichi was playing a cruel prank on me and that he wanted to get away with pervert stuff? I remember that one shared bath very well, not to mention those times we slept in the same bed!" Her face was bright red._

 _Oh dear, I've gotten her all fired up, Haibara/Shiho thought with a deadpan look. "Anyways, the best way to fool your enemy is to fool your allies, is it not? Kudo-kun wanted to keep the circle of trust as small as possible. Even if that meant fooling you. Like I said, he is an incredibly cautious person, and he would not still be alive today were this not the case."_

 _"_ _I understand that," Ran said. "Really, I do. But…it still hurts, you know?"_

 _"_ _Yes, I know hurt very well," Haibara/Shiho said sadly. "You'll be sad for a time and then you'll get over it, because that's what human beins do. All I ask is that you don't assume the worst of Kudo-kun's actions. When you're ready, there's something very important we need to discuss with you."_

 _With that, Haibara left Ran to her thoughts._

 **Scene Transition**

"And then I saw it: a picture of a naked lady on Conan's phone!" Genta said.

"Well, it was a lady wearing a bikini," Mitsuhiko corrected.

From behind his back Conan could feel Nancy glaring at him, an intense pressure emanating from her eyes somehow.

You told me that you had deleted that photo, Nancy thought furiously.

"Fortunately, I deleted the picture from his phone later that day," Haibara said, saving Conan from getting his butt kicked by Nancy later.

Tsukiko struggled to stifle the urge to laugh. "Does anyone want something to drink? I've got soft drinks in the fridge."

"Yes please!" Mitsuhiko said.

"I'd like an orange-flavored drink if you have it," Ayumi requested.

"Dr. Popper for me!" Genta said.

"I'm good," Haibara said.

"Nancy, you want anything?" Conan asked.

"Uh, just water," Nancy said.

"I'll take water too then," Conan said.

Tsukiko took the drinks out of the refrigerator and passed them out to the six kids, who were sitting at the dining room table. After that was finished she opened the freezer and took a banana out, grabbing it by the top.

"Hey lady, why'd you put a banana in the freezer?" Genta asked.

"Oh, I've always enjoyed eating frozen bananas," Tsukiko said. "They taste better than way than when they're warm in my opinion."

What is this? Conan thought. It's like she doesn't even care about the letter anymore.

Tsukiko stepped out of the room for a few seconds and then returned.

"Whoops, I need to use the toilet," Tsukiko said. "You kids stay here and enjoy your drinks. I'll be back in a minute."

She threw the banana in the trash and walked out of the room.

 **Roughly One Minute Later**

Tsukiko returned.

"How do you like your drinks?" she asked.

"They're good," Mitsuhiko said. "Thanks!"

Haibara was casually reading that magazine from earlier, which she had brought in her backpack.

"So, about the case," Conan said.

"Uh, right," Tsukiko said. "Uh, listen, I'd like to check on my husband real fast."

She stepped out of the room again.

"So, did you stumble upon any clues about the sender?" Haibara asked.

Conan shook his head. "No. Trying to figure this out without a fingerprint analysis or any suspects is like…"

"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Upon hearing Tsukiko scream, Conan immediately got up from the table and rushed towards the hallway. He saw Tsukiko at the entrance of the bedroom, having fallen down backwards. There was a traumatized look on her face.

"What happened?" Conan demanded.

"T-ts-tsuto…mu…"

Conan ran past her and stepped into the bedroom. What he saw was…

" _Oba-san_ , call an ambulance and the police," he ordered.

Tsutomu Kitazawa was lying immobile on the edge of the bed, his throat having been slit.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Ending:**

( _Natsu no Maboroshi_ by Garnet Crow, a chord sheet for my version of the song below)

D# Minor B Major F# Major C# Major

(Wordless opening part to the song)

A Major E Major F# minor C# Minor

 _Heya no mado no mukou ni hikouki kumo o nazotte_

D Major C# Minor F# Minor G Major (E Major)

 _Kyou kenkashita kimi no koto bakari kangaeteta_

A Major E Major F# minor C# Minor

 _Sasai na koto de to madotte fuantei de muboubi na_

D Major C# Minor F# Minor

 _Ano koro no you ni sugu ni denwashite_

D Major E Major F# Minor

 _Warai aetara ii no ni ne_

G# Major D# Major C Minor G Minor G# Major A# Major D# Major

 _Chika zuite kuru shifuku no toki wa_

G# Major D# Major G# Major A# Major

 _Itami o tomonainagara ashi oto o tateru_

C Minor G Minor G# Major A# Major D# Major G# Major D# Major A# Major

 _Kangaesugite fukami ni hamaru kimi no soba ni iru no ni_

E Major B Major C# Minor E Major

 _Natsu no maboroshi hitomi tojimete ichiban saishou ni kimi o omoidasu yo_

A Major B Major G# Minor C# Minor

 _Dakedo kimi to ikiteyukitai kara_

A Major E Major F# Minor G# Minor A Major B Major E Major

 _Tomadoinagara demo ii tsunaida te o hanasanaide ne_


	2. Episode 917

Tsukiko returned.

"How do you like your drinks?" she asked.

"They're good," Mitsuhiko said. "Thanks!"

Haibara was casually reading a magazine that she had brought in her backpack.

"So, about the case," Conan said.

"Uh, right," Tsukiko said. "Uh, listen, I'd like to check on my husband real fast."

She stepped out of the room again.

"So, did you stumble upon any clues about the sender of letter?" Haibara asked.

Conan shook his head. "No. Trying to figure this out without a fingerprint analysis is like…"

"GAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Upon hearing Tsukiko scream, Conan immediately got up from the table and rushed towards the hallway. He saw Tsukiko at the entrance to the bedroom, having fallen down backwards. There was a traumatised look on her face.

"What happened?!" Conan demanded.

"T-ts-tsuto…mu..."

Conan ran past her and stepped into the bedroom; what he saw was…

" _Oba-san_ , call an ambulance and the police," he ordered.

Tsutomu Kitazawa was lying immobile on the edge of his bed, his throat having been slit.

 **Opening:**

(Jump by Mai Kuraki)

(In my time as a detective I've learned that tingling feelings are subconscious observations! What happened to Ran? Who is this Nancy? He perceives the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, his name is…Detective Conan!)

Sometimes I think the beat is just too fast for me

Other times the beat is way too slow

The clothes passed down to me are a size too small

How can anyone walk in these shoes?

The thermostat is kept a notch too low

My awkward shadow bumps into everything

The silence in my daily life is deafening

And other times the music's way too loud

There is a world for me over the canyon

A world that's just my size, just my tempo

Don't look back, don't look down

Just close your eyes and take a leap into the dark

You got to jump, you got to jump

Like you're reaching for precious oxygen

You got to jump, you got to jump

Like you're aiming for the shining stars

You got to jump, you got to jump

Don't even fall back to get a running start

When your feet hit ground that's its own reward

But you will never know until you jump

 **The Vanishing Weapon Murder Case! Part Two!**

"And that's when you saw your husband lying there dead."

"Y-yeah."

Inspector Megure stroked his mustache. "Hmm, that would make you the prime suspect, wouldn't it?"

"Uh, no," Tsukiko said. "You see…"

 **Scene Transition**

"I see," Megure said, reading the death threat letter. "Still, if just you and your husband were here, then you don't have an alibi."

"Actually, _Megure-keibu_ , we were here with her when the murder took place."

"C-conan-kun?!" Megure exclaimed, flabbergasted.

Mouri-kun might not be the one who's jinxed, Megure thought.

Conan chuckled in a very childlike manner.

 **Scene Transition**

"So that's what happened," Megure said. "She hired you kids to figure out who sent the letter, and while you were in the kitchen her husband was murdered. You say that she got up to use the bathroom?"

Mitsuhiko nodded. "It was only for a minute or so."

"Still, that's enough time to slit her husband's throat," Megure said.

" _Chotto matte kudasai_!" Tsukiko said. "His throat was slit, right? That meant a sharp implement of some kind was used. So where is it? Can you find this weapon? It will react in the presence of Luminol, right?"

"Uh, we're still working on that," Megure said. "But how could the culprit have gotten into the house?"

"My husband leaves the bedroom window open sometimes," Tsukiko said. "Whenever he closes it he usually forgets to lock it."

"The bedroom window was indeed unlocked," Takagi, that beta of a male, said to Megure.

Megure nodded. "Has the murder weapon not yet been found?"

"Not yet," Takagi said. "We're still working on it."

"You won't find it, because the real culprit took it with him as he fled," Tsukiko insisted.

" _Keibu_!" An officer ran up to Megure. "The bathroom sink! It…!"

 **Scene Transition**

"WHAT?!" Megure exclaimed upon seeing the glowing bathroom sink in the otherwise dark bathroom.

Almost the entire sink lit up in the presence of luminol.

"There couldn't have been that much blood, could it?" Megure asked.

" _Megure-keibu_ , didn't you know?" Conan said in a childlike voice. "A surface which has recently been bleached will react in the presence of luminol."

"I did use bleach to clean the sink a couple hours ago," Tsukiko said.

"So if blood came in contact with this sink we simply have no way of knowing," Megure said. "My, how…convenient."

"What are you talking about?" Tsukiko protested. "I always use bleach to clean the sink! And not just this one; today I used bleach to clean every sink in the house. And the toilet too."

"Takagi," Megure barked. "Have all the drains checked. The culprit might've sent the murder weapon down a drain."

"Yes sir," Takagi said, saluting in a very effeminate manner. Then he left hurriedly to carry out this order.

Megure looked at the 6 kids. "Wait…weren't there only five of you before?"

"Ah, this is Nancy," Conan said.

Megure nodded. "Well, you six ought to be heading home about now. You don't need to be sticking around a murder scene."

"Come on, let's go," Haibara said, beginning to push Genta in the direction of the front door.

 **Scene Transition**

The Detective Boys and Nancy began to walk away from the Kitazawa house.

"Man, this sucks," Genta said. "We're not going to get paid after all."

"Hey now, that's not all you're thinking about, is it?" Ayumi said.

Conan had that look on his face. The look of a person in deep thought.

"You haven't figured it out yet?" Haibara asked.

"No," Conan said. "I know that woman did it, but I don't know how she disposed of the weapon. If I can figure that out, then…"

"You know, I have a theory," Haibara said.

"What, for real?!" Mitsuhiko exclaimed. "Haibara-san, you know what happened?"

"Eh, no," Haibara said. "It's just a theory. My theory is that she removed a sharp glass fragment from the bedroom window ahead of time, used it to commit the crime, wiped it off, and then used transparent tape to reattach it to said window. Nothing short of a close inspection of the window would reveal the tape."

"But they inspected the window to confirm that it was locked," Conan said. "That'd be a bit risky, wouldn't it?"

"Ah, I got it!" Genta said. "She used her sharp fingernails to slit his throat! Then she washed her hands and clipped them while in the bathroom!"

"But could she clip ten fingernails in less than a minute's time?" Mitsuhiko asked. "Also, what if somebody noticed the change in her fingernail length? Wait, I've got it: what if she had a small sharp needle which could be put inside of a band-aid? All that she'd have to do would be to remove the band-aid, take the needle out, use it to kill her husband, and then put it back."

"But she'd risk piercing herself and causing a visible bleed," Conan said. "Furthermore, I'm not so sure something like that would stick continuously. Finally, the cut on the victim's neck was too wide to have been inflicted by a needle."

"Or what if she's innocent?!" Ayumi exploded, upset. "Why do you all assume it was her?!"

"Ayumi," Mitsuhiko began.

" _Oba-san_ was really nice to us," Ayumi said. "And you accuse her of murder? How could you?"

She ran off suddenly.

"Ayumi, wait!" Mitsuhiko shouted. He and Genta ran after her.

Conan sighed.

"She does have a point," Nancy said. "What's your reasoning for assuming she's the culprit?"

" _Occam's razor_ ," Conan said. "A reasoning technique developed by William of Ockham, a medieval friar, philosopher, and theologian. Occam's Razor is as following: Among competing hypotheses, the one which makes the fewest assumptions should be selected. In short, which is easier to believe: that some stranger broke into the house during broad daylight while both occupants were home through a back window which he shouldn't even know is unlocked and that the victim didn't make any noise at all, or that his wife killed him with some unidentified murder weapon when he didn't expect it?"

"When you put it that way, obviously the latter," Nancy said.

"But unless the murder weapon is found she's going to get away clean," Haibara said.

"There is one other thing that doesn't settle with me," Conan said. "The banana. If she knew that she was about to commit a murder and wouldn't be able to eat it, what was the point of taking out the banana?"

"That's true," Haibara said. "She ended up throwing it in the trash, if I recall correctly."

"It's like she wanted it but then she had no use for it," Nancy said.

She wanted it, Conan thought. She wanted it but then had no use for…

There was a flash of inspiration in his eyes. He suddenly turned around and ran towards the Kitazawa house. Nancy and Haibara ran after him.

"What's going on?" Nancy asked.

Haibara looked at Nancy and grinned. "Mouri-kun, you're about to witness something spectacular."

 **Scene Transition**

Conan re-entered the Kitazawa House. He went up to the dining room trash can and took the banana out. He unpeeled it halfway and looked at it.

This is…he thought.

He sniffed it. Then he smiled.

"So that's how it was," he said out loud with a cocky grin.

He put the banana back in the trash, hid behind a corner, and pulled his Shinichi phone out. He began to dial Inspector Megure's number.

"Inspector, we searched the drains but no weapon has been found," he could hear Takagi saying.

Tsukiko grinned evilly.

Megure sighed. "So it really was an intruder then…huh?"

He could hear his phone ringing. He took it out of his coat pocket and pushed Call. He put it to his ear.

"Yes?" Megure said.

"Hello, Inspector Megure."

"S-shinichi?!" Megure exclaimed. "Wait, don't tell me you know about the case?"

"Yeah," Conan/Shinichi said from a corner. "Conan called me and told me all the details. He was hoping that I could solve it, and it turns out that I did. Put me on speaker phone, please."

As he spoke, Nancy and Haibara were watching him.

So this is how he does it, Nancy thought.

Megure put the phone on speaker as Shinichi requested.

"Everyone," Conan/Shinichi said. "This was not the work of some stranger with a grudge against the victim. Rather, the culprit was someone who the victim knew very well and trusted. That's right: the victim is none other than you, Tsukiko Kitazawa!"

Tsukiko was stunned, but after about five seconds she got over it and laughed nervously. "Me? Really now?"

"Yes, you," Shinichi confirmed. "Here's how it went down. First, you secretly managed to deposit a threatening letter in your mailbox. Whether or not your husband took the threat seriously was ultimately irrelevant. Second, you filled a blade-shaped mold and…"

"A mold?" Megure said. "Explain, please."

"Ah, certainly," Conan/Shinichi said. "Ice is, arguably, a plastic material like concrete. If you fill a container to the brim with water and freeze it, the resulting ice will retain the shape of its container. So let's say you have a smooth surface. In the middle of this surface is a blade-shaped engraving. That's your mold. If you fill the mold with water and put it in the freezer, the end result will be a blade-shaped piece of ice. Of course, to prevent it from sticking to the mold you put petroleum jelly in the bottom before you insert the water. To create an ice blade which can be used as a lethal weapon may take lots of experimenting involving many different kinds of molds, but we will assume here that the culprit could've spent any amount of time prior to the murder developing the perfect mold so as to create the perfect ice weapon."

Tsukiko scoffed. "Nobody actually believes this idiot, right?"

"This 'idiot' has solved a multitude of cases that the police could not," Megure snapped. "Anyway, please continue, Shinichi."

"Gladly. Anyway, all the culprit had to do in this respect was to create a curved ice blade and keep it stored in the freezer. How long ago it was made is fairly irrelevant, but let's suffice to say that she was able to dispose of the mold a long time ago. So, immediately prior to killing her husband she took the ice blade out of the freezer and excused herself to use the bathroom."

Tsukiko laughed. "Boy, you clearly don't know all the details. The only thing that I took out of the freezer was a banana. Ask any of the six witnesses."

"Yes, that's why you invited the kids to your house," Conan/Shinichi said. "You needed to give yourself an alibi. Your husband was clearly alive whenever you arrived, so the only chance that you had to kill him was within that one minute span when you excused yourself to use the bathroom. If the only thing that you pulled out of the freezer was a banana, then you couldn't have used an ice weapon to kill your husband, because it would've melted long before that. Since you were only gone for a minute or so, you would not have had time to dispose of a normal weapon so that it would never be found. So if you used any normal weapon to murder your husband, it would've surely been found by now. That it hasn't been found seems to absolve you of suspicion. However, you took out both a banana and an ice weapon."

"Hey, are you actually suggesting that I was hiding the ice weapon behind the banana?" Tsukiko said.

"That's not what I'm saying at all," Conan/Shinichi said. "What I am saying is that you hid the ice weapon inside of the banana."

"INSIDE THE BANANA?!" Megure exclaimed.

"Yes, Inspector," Conan/Shinichi said. "Allow me to explain. First, you take a banana. Then you unpeel it. Then, you take a knife and cut it into two symmetrical halves. Then you stick the ice blade in between the two halves, put the peel back on the banana as best and you can, and put it in the freezer so that the ice blade won't melt. Whenever you took it out, Conan noticed that you grabbed the banana from the top, which is not how people would normally grab a banana. The reason for this is you wanted to hide the fact that the peel had been put back onto the banana after being removed. After you took the banana out of the freezer, Conan also noticed that you stepped out of the room for a few seconds. This was before you excused yourself to use the restroom. During this time you were removing the ice blade from the banana. After this point there was no further use for the banana so you threw away. Anyway, after you excused yourself you went to see your husband in the bedroom. Most likely you wrapped your arms around him from behind in an intimate manner. It was then that you took the blade and slit his throat, whenever he had totally let his guard down. It's possible that to strengthen your grip and to prevent cutting yourself you wrapped one end of the blade in a piece of cloth. The fact that his throat was slit is quite telling; an ice blade is, obviously, made out of ice. As such it would not have the tensile strength needed for stabbing. After you slit his throat you went to the bathroom, turned the hot water on in the sink, and melted the weapon. Then you returned to your guests as though nothing had happened."

Tsukiko was silent. But then…

"Proof," she said. "Do you have any…proof?"

"Oh yes, I do," Shinichi said. "In order to prevent the ice blade from sticking to the two banana halves, petroleum jelly was likely applied to the inward part of each banana half. The banana is currently in the trash; it should have traces of petroleum jelly or some other non-stick substance on it."

Megure looked at Takagi. Takagi nodded and went to retrieve the banana from the trash bin. By this point Tsukiko had a very panicky look on her face.

"Well, do you confess?" Conan/Shinichi asked.

Tsukiko sighed and fell to her knees. "That man…all he would ever do is play those stupid online games. He was simultaneously subscribed to several different games, and it cost up to 20,000 yen a month. That only scratched the surface, however. That, combined with his seemingly endless in-game purchases, would come up to as much as 300,000 yen a year. That isn't all, however. He would often be jobless because his employers would catch him playing those games at work. My sister was married to Tsutomu up until about three years ago."

"And then she left him?" Takagi asked.

"No, she died," Tsukiko said. "Everyone said it was an accident, but…if it was really an accident, then why did Tsutomu enroll her in a $30,000 life insurance policy two weeks before her death? One night about two months ago, he drunkenly confessed to me that he had killed her, explaining everything. He killed a person, his own wife, just so that he could fund his gaming habit! Of course, when he woke up the next day he didn't remember any of it, but after that night I became determined to send him to hell. I just didn't think that my foolproof plan would be seen through so easily."

 **Scene Transition**

 _Ran re-entered the Living Room, where Conan and Haibara were waiting._

 _"_ _Ah, Ran," Shinichi/Conan said. "Are you ready to talk about that thing?"_

 _"_ _I'll have to at some point or another," Ran said, sighing. She sat down on the couch._

 _"_ _As I said before, Elena-san imposed some conditions for your revival," Conan said. "The most important of this is that a dead person cannot be known to have returned from the dead. Neither your family nor your friends can know that Ran Mouri has returned. Ever."_

 _"_ _I figured as much," Ran said. "So what am I to do? Take on a fake persona like the two of you did?"_

 _"_ _Yes," Haibara said. "Though if this new persona is going to be you for the rest of your life, then to call it fake might be a bit misleading."_

 _"_ _The Professor will help see you enrolled in Teitan Primary," Conan said. "But to do that you'll need a new name."_

 _"_ _How did you two come up with your names?" Ran asked._

 _"_ _Mine is relatively straightforward," Conan said. "Conan comes from Arthur Conan Doyle. Edogawa comes from Edogawa Ranpo, the pen name of Taro Hirai, one of the most famous Japanese mystery novelists of all time. Edogawa Ranpo is a Japanese rendering of Edgar Allen Poe, a famous gothic and horror writer from the 19_ _th_ _century United States._

 _"_ _And yours?" Ran asked Haibara._

 _"_ _Ai, which translates to sorrow rather than love, is a play on the two English initials in V.I. Warshawski, a fictional private investigator," Haibara said. "The 'hai' in Haibara is based on fictional private detective Cordelia Gray."_

(Author's note: "Hai" can be translated from Japanese into English as "gray".)

 _Ran nodded. "So your pseudonyms are pretty much just plays on the names of fictional detectives and mystery writers."_

 _"_ _More or less," Conan said, somewhat embarrassed by how nerdy that sounded. "If you can't think of anything, then we've got the perfect name for you based on this same pattern."_

 _"_ _You're not naming me after some obscure detective from some crime novel!" Ran said, embarrassed._

 _"_ _You got something then?" Haibara asked. "The Professor's going to call the school in a few minutes and he needs a name for you. Hurry up."_

 _"_ _G-give me a few minutes, will you? Can't you tell the professor to wait a little?"_

 _"_ _The basic arrangements have to be made by tomorrow," Conan said. "So what will it be? Agatha Holmes, perhaps?"_

 _"_ _I like the sound of Sydney Bond," Haibara said. "Or Natasha Fleming."_

 _"_ _Hey, now!" Ran protested, blushing._

 _"_ _Natasha Fleming sounds good," Conan said._

 _"_ _Nancy Akechi!" Ran blurted out. "How's that?"_

 _"_ _Nancy Akechi?" Haibara repeated._

 _"_ _Akechi comes from Kogoro Akechi," Conan said. "A fictional detective created by Edogawa Ranpo. I suspect that Ran may have heard of that author by his real name and not his pseudonym, which is how she knew about Kogoro Akechi but not of Edogawa Ranpo. Or, she may've heard of the character while not remembering the author's name. Anyway, Ran's father too is named Kogoro. If we were to pretend that Ran was the other Kogoro's daughter, her last name would be Akechi. Nancy comes from Nancy Drew."_

 _"_ _I see," Haibara said._

 _She managed to come up with something like that? Haibara thought with a deadpan look. How?_

 _"_ _Ran," Shinichi/Conan said with a very serious voice. "Henceforth you shall be called Nancy Akechi. Never forget that name."_

 **Scene Transition**

"Well, I'm going back to the professor's house," Haibara said. "I'll see you both again tomorrow at school, if all goes well."

"Okay, bye," Conan said.

And so, Conan and Nancy began walking to the Mouri Residency by themselves.

"This is it," Nancy said. "You say it's been less than two weeks since I died?"

"Yeah," Conan said.

"So what's this surprise you were telling me about?"

"I'm not telling you that," Conan said. "You'll see for yourself when we get there."

"You can't even give me a hint?" Nancy asked.

"No!" Conan said, in a childlike voice despite there being no need for that. "Like I said, you'll find out when we get there."

 **Scene Transition**

They stepped inside the air-conditioned apartment complex. They began ascending the stairs.

Nancy's heart was beating like a drum.

This is it, she thought. I'm about to meet my father, who believes me dead. Even during and after this meeting he won't be allowed to know that I'm alive. He must see me as some random little girl, a girl named Nancy. But what will the consequences be if he recognises my face from my younger days?

"Nancy?" Conan said. "Why are you just standing there? Come on, let's step inside."

Nancy nodded. They stepped inside and…

Conan closed the door. "Uncle Kogoro, auntie Eri, I'm home!"

"Ah, Conan," Eri's voice said sternly. "You should've told us last night that you were staying at the Professor's…"

Whenever she walked into view and saw Nancy, she stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at Nancy.

"W-who is this girl?" Eri asked, trying to maintain her cool.

She looks almost exactly like Ran did in her younger days, Eri thought.

"Auntie Eri, this is Nancy," Conan said in a childish voice. "Her parents got into an accident and she doesn't have anywhere else to stay. I was going to ask if she could…"

" _Anata_!" Eri called out. "You need to come see this!"

There was no answer.

" _Anata_?" Eri repeated. "Uh, excuse me a second."

She went down stairs, only to find Kogoro watching Yoko Okino on television. Fortunately he was not drinking beer. She grabbed him by the hand and led him upstairs, where he saw…

What the *expletive*? Kogoro thought. That girl looks like some kind of clone of…

"Uh, like I was saying, Nancy's parents got into a bad accident," Conan said. "I was going to ask if she could stay here for a while until they're admitted from the hospital."

"Uh, sure," Kogoro said, dumbfounded.

But then he realised what he had just said.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Kogoro said. "No way! We're not keeping another freeloa…!"

Eri crouched down to Nancy's height. "What's your full name, dear?"

"Uh, Nancy Akechi," Nancy said, worried that her mother saw right through the ruse.

"Who are your parents?" Eri asked.

Nancy didn't know how to answer.

"Uh, she's had a long day," Conan said, chuckling nervously. "She probably doesn't want to answer questions right now. So can she stay?"

"Uh, I guess we can keep her here for a little while," Eri said.

Kogoro signaled his displeasure to Eri, but she just ignored him.

"Alright, Nancy," Eri said. "We're about to have supper. Do you feel up to eating?"

Conan winced.

That's right, he realised. From now on Eri's going to be the one preparing our meals. Crap, this is bad.

Nancy nodded bashfully, not knowing what to say.

 **Scene Transition**

In a hidden, dimly-lit facility somewhere in Tokyo, a man in a surgeon outfit emerged from the operating room.

"Is it done?" Yoko Okino, who was dressed in all black, asked.

"Yes, the Altar Organ has been successfully extracted and preserved," the man, known simply as Mezcal, said. "Phase One is complete."

"Understood," Yoko said. "As we speak, Rum is hacking into the Beika Hospital's local area network. He's to download the confidential medical information of all patients on file. After the files are obtained, you'll be able to look through them and select test subjects who're most compatible for implantation. He should be finished in a couple hours."

Mezcal nodded. "Colour me impressed. Once we select and capture a subject, Phase Two will proceed."

 **Scene Transition**

"It was a very good meal," Nancy said. "If you'll excuse me."

She rose from the table, put his bowl in the sink, and walked away. Conan followed her.

Once they were out of earshot…

"What's going on?" Nancy asked. "Why's _oka-san_ here?"

"That's the surprise," Conan said with a grin. "Ran's death was an eye-opener to them both. They realised how much time they had wasted, and how much they needed each other. And as a result…"

Conan knew by the look on Nancy's face that he didn't need to say any more.

She hurried back to the kitchen, saw them talking to one another as husband and wife…and she left the room with a smile.

Mother, father, she thought happily. At long last…

Tears of joy began streaming down her face. She tried to hold them back but she couldn't.

"So," Conan said. "Do you still feel as though there's no reason to live?"

Nancy was so overwhelmed in that moment with sheer happiness that she couldn't even answer Conan's question.

"This is just the start," Conan said. "You will find more things, many more reasons, to justify the continued existence of Nancy Akechi. Reasons that even Ran Mouri never had. But it's not a totally natural process. You will have to work towards it, Nancy. You will have to work towards building a new life for yourself. You will have to forge relationships from scratch with many people who you hardly knew before, if at all. You will have to develop and refine your new persona until she is just as real as Ran was. Are you willing to work towards that?"

"Yes," Nancy whispered, still overcome with bliss. "I am willing, Shinichi. No…Conan. I am willing, Conan."

Conan grinned. "Oh, and one more thing. I was kicked out of uncle's room when auntie Eri moved back in so we're going to have to share a room."

"Huuuuh?" Ran said, blushing profusely.

" _Daishobu_ ," Conan said. "We're both young children, after all. It's a fairly normal arrangement."

"Hey now, you don't find me hot in this body, do you?" Ran asked suspiciously.

Say wut? Conan thought with a blank expression on his face. "N-no, not at all! Not in the slightest!"

"…So you're saying that I'm ugly?" Ran asked, a pitiful sad look on her face.

Then she put her face in her hands and started wailing softly.

"N-nancy, I think you're very pretty!" Conan said, not knowing what to say. "You have a cute girlish charm!"

Ran removed her hands from her head, revealing a smug grin. "Really? So that's what you think of me?"

"Hey, you were just faking?!" Conan protested, blushing. "Not fair! I thought you were genuinely upset!"

They went at it for a few more seconds, and then…

"So, you want to see if there's any more cookies left in the pantry?" Conan asked.

"Sure," Nancy said, shrugging.

And so they went to go raid the kitchen pantry, scampering across the kitchen floor in their socks.

Meanwhile, Kogoro and Eri were watching them.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Eri asked.

"Yeah," Kogoro said. "Whenever I see those two together, they remind me of a certain other two kids. That's impossible though, isn't it?"

"Obviously," Eri said. "But the resemblance is scary. Hold on, I'm going to go find some pictures of those two other kids together."

She got up and went to retrieve the photo album book. Conan stopped what he was doing and looked at Eri with a hostile glare.

You can search all you want, Kisaski-san, he thought. I've hidden every last one of those pictures where you won't find them.

 **Ending:**

( _Natsu no Maboroshi_ by Garnet Crow, a chord sheet for my version of the song below)

D# Minor B Major F# Major C# Major

(Wordless opening part to the song)

A Major E Major F# Minor C# Minor

 _Heya no mado no mukou ni hikouki kumo o nazotte_

D Major C# Minor F# Minor G Major (E Major)

 _Kyou kenkashita kimi no koto bakari kangaeteta_

A Major E Major F# Minor C# Minor

 _Sasai na koto de to madotte fuantei de muboubi na_

D Major C# Minor F# Minor

 _Ano koro no you ni sugu ni denwashite_

D Major E Major F# Minor

 _Warai aetara ii no ni ne_

G# Major A# Major C Minor G Minor G# Major A# Major D# Major

 _Chika zuite kuru shifuku no toki wa_

G# Major D# Major G# Major A# Major

 _Itami o tomonainagara ashi oto o tateru_

C Minor G Minor G# Major A# Major D# Major G# Major D# Major A# Major

 _Kangaesugite fukami ni hamaru kimi no soba ni iru no ni_

E Major B Major C# Minor E Major

 _Natsu no maboroshi hitomi tojimete ichiban saishou ni kimi o omoidasu yo_

A Major B Major G# Minor C# Minor

 _Dakedo kimi to ikiteyukitai kara_

A Major E Major F# Minor G# Minor A Major B Major E Major

 _Tomadoinagara demo ii tsunaida te o hanasanaide ne_

 **POST-CREDITS SCENE:**

 _Master Plan—Phase Two—List of Test Subjects, First Month_

 _TS-01 (Test Subject 01):_

 _Name: Takumi Minehara_

 _Gender: Male_

 _Age: 33_

 _Employment Status: NEET_

 _Summary of Capture: Rum waited along the subject's usual nightly route from home to a bar, disguised as a woman whose car broke down. The subject offered to attempt to repair the car. As the subject popped open the hood of the car to look inside, Rum sedated him from behind and brought him to the testing facility._

 _Summary of Operation: Transplant was rejected within 3 hours, death of subject, organ salvaged_

 _TS-02_

 _Name: Megumi Takayama_

 _Gender: Female_

 _Age: 26_

 _Employment Status: Waitress_

 _Summary of Capture: Rum entered her home while she was at work; whenever she returned, he ambushed and sedated her and brought her to the testing facility._

 _Summary of Operation: Transplant was rejected within 2 hours, death of subject, organ salvaged_

 _TS-03:_

 _Name: Minami Hayashibara_

 _Gender: Female_

 _Age: 34_

 _Employment Status: Housewife_

 _Summary of Capture: Rum, posing online as a person interested in selling her a high-quality rug, arranged a meeting with her in a trailer home which Yoko had rented, where he sedated her and brought her to the testing facility._

 _Summary of Operation: Transplant was rejected within 5 hours, death of subject, organ salvaged_

 _TS-04:_

 _Name: Hiroaki Tojo_

 _Gender: Male_

 _Age: 64_

 _Employment Status: Retired_

 _Summary of Capture: Rum posed as a former doctor selling a homemade medicine for rheumatism, which the subject was suffering from. The subject came to the trailer home which Yoko had rented, where Rum sedated the subject and brought him to the testing facility._

 _Summary of Operation: Transplant was rejected within 1 hour, death of subject, organ salvaged_

 _TS-05:_

 _Name: Kazumi Enomoto_

 _Gender: Male_

 _Age: 18_

 _Employment Status: Student_

 _Summary of Capture: Rum contacted the subject, posing as a college student and offering to sell him an expensive new game for a discount price under the pretense of having played and ultimately hating the game but not being able to return it for a refund because he lost the receipt. Rum met the subject in the trailer home which Yoko had rented, sedated him, and brought him to the testing facility._

 _Summary of Operation: Transplant was rejected within 4 hours, death of subject, organ salvaged_

 _TS-06:_

 _Name: Aiko Kinoshita_

 _Gender: Female_

 _Age: 13_

 _Employment Status: Student_

 _Summary of Capture: Rum spent 2 weeks interacting with her online, posing as a 14 year old boy. They agreed to meet IRL at Haido Park at night, where Rum ambushed and sedated the subject and brought her to the testing facility._

 _Summary of Operation: Transplant was rejected within 8 hours, death of subject, organ salvaged_

 _TS-07:_

 _Name: Tomoaki Araide_

 _Gender: Male_

 _Age: 26_

 _Employment Status: Clinic Doctor_

 _Summary of Capture: Rum contacted the subject by phone, posing as a 75 year old man with lower body paralysis whose wife had fallen in the shower and couldn't get up. Subject came to the trailer home which Yoko had rented, where Rum sedated him and brought him to the testing facility._

 _Summary of Operation: Transplant was rejected within 9 hours, death of subject, organ salvaged_

 **END OF EPISODE**


End file.
